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From Amazing To Downright Scary, These 30 Design Decisions In Soviet Apartment Buildings In Lithuania Are Far From Boring
Anyone who's ever visited a post-soviet country would've probably noticed some dull and depressing Eastern Bloc apartment buildings. Designed solely for one purpose—to put a roof over the heads of as many residents as possible, as quickly as possible—these buildings are definitely not the greatest example of charming architecture. However, the people who lived behind the iron curtain learned to make the most of what they had, and that included decorating the yards and hallways of these hideous apartment blocks. However, creativity and taste don't always go hand in hand. While we would like to say take a look at these amazing, mesmerizing, wonderful gardens and hallways, all we can actually say is look at these... quirky gardens and hallways. Of course, this doesn't apply to all of them because there's some amazing ideas in this list as well. But mostly... well, we really don't want to get your hopes up. Scroll down below. Upvote. Comment. Roast us. You know, the usual.
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#1
64-year-old Kristina Šeniauskienė has gone viral for her impressive garden in front of the apartment building where she lives. "I work for the compliments," the crafty woman told the local TV station. "Throughout my life, I have never received as many compliments as I do now," she added. Every day, she spends somewhere from 5 to 6 hours working on 60 different plants in the garden.
She started taking care of the garden 11 years ago. "When I'm working outside with the flowers, I don't feel any pain," she said. "But when I come back, lay down in my bed, my body starts to get sore. So I feel better here [outside]. Just like in childhood—I don't want to come back home in the evenings," she added, smiling. "Every year, she comes up with some new compositions," one neighbor told the TV news station. "We come here like it's some kind of museum."
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#3
Created on Christmas Eve back in 2018, the Facebook group Laiptinių puošimo grupė has over 3.5k members now. The group description says that it welcomes everyone who takes care of the decor of hallways and gardens in apartment buildings.
#7
Jane Dorothy Warner 5 years ago
My old mum tried to make the gardens of the retirement flats pretty, just as she had kept a lovely garden all her life, but some b**** kept ripping up the plants!
#8
The group Laiptinių puošimo grupė was founded by Giedre Viliulyte, who is still an admin, and her dad, Giedrius Viliulis (yes, they both have the same name and it's adorable!). When it was created, Giedre and her dad shared photos of beautifully decorated hallways among their neighbors. However, after Giedrius deleted his Facebook account, his daughter decided to attract more members to the group—and succeeded!
#11
"I founded the group along with my dad, Giedrius, back in 2018 right before Christmas. We were inspired by the Christmas decorations in our 12-story apartment building," the group administrator, Giedre, told Bored Panda.
#18
"Please look after my flower until February 7"
"While riding the elevator, it was fun to see all the different decorations on each floor. At first, we invited only close friends and neighbors to the group with whom we shared photos of the decor on our floor," Giedre explained.
#22
suzanne werbiski 5 years ago
Actually I really like this eclectic style! it all somehow works together and love the curtains
"This group would always lift my mood and I wanted to see more posts, especially since the trend of decorating hallways and gardens in front of apartment buildings is big everywhere in Lithuania," the group administrator told Bored Panda. "So, I started brainstorming ideas on how I could attract more Lithuanians to the group."
#27
Andrew Gibb 5 years ago
just like the Louvre, but in the hallway of a block of Soviet era flats
#29
#30
"I had been following a Lithuanian blogger named Mahila for a long time, and her sense of humor seemed similar to mine so I messaged her about my group and she shared the link to it on her page," Giedre said. "That's when the group really started to bloom! Members started flooding it with photos of their own hallways, little gardens, and squares from all around the country," she added.
"I have not resided in Lithuania for quite a while now and when I try to tell my friends in the UK about this group and the tradition of decorating, embellishing, and sometimes grotesquely uglifying our hallways, they don't seem to get it," Giedre explained to Bored Panda. "It's nice that Lithuanians are able to laugh at their own bizarre tradition. While the group was intended for "lovers of aesthetics," everyone understands pretty well that the group was created in order to offer a unique glimpse at this cultural heritage."
#40
J-Yogi-Temp-Mom 5 years ago
i love how they felt the need to chain it down so it doesn't up and walk away.
#51
"Stupid house"
#60
cassiushumanmother 5 years ago
This shar pei is human shaped, it is the best part of the picture.
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What do you think ?
Sue Grigg 5 years ago
With the exception of a few, these are just people trying to humanize bland living conditions and good for them.
Dorothy Cloud 5 years ago
It is sad. Looks like most of the people were poor and tried very hard to improve what little they had. Bless their hearts.
Martha Meyer 5 years ago
Don't think these people are particularly poor. But those apartment buildings haven't been renovated in forever. A bit of new paint and new doors and windows do wonders to those buildings.
Load More Replies...
Befitting Soup 5 years ago
So nostalgic. Although I never lived in a block, they were all around and we were always off vising an aunt or older relative living in a block of flats. The staircase has a particular smell (not bad) I still remember it fondly.
Stannous Flouride 5 years ago
Given that the industrious staff of Bored Panda are all Letts (Lithuanians) it's surprising that so few of the posts here are from that lovely country. Nice to see.
Kae Matsuda 5 years ago
I loved Vilnius but I resolved that if I ever come into money I will fill in some of its skyline with beautiful, modern, plant-friendly, affordable housing just to offset the Soviet apartments. They are so unbelievably ugly! This post was sweet because it showed people making the space their own on very little to work with. It's my dream to give them more!
Monika Lachova 5 years ago
this looks very familiar to me. It is similar in Slovakia as well. We have lots of concrete panel buildings like that and to see something like above is quite common. But those inside wall paintings are cool.
Grace Note 5 years ago
Even the simplest ones, like a chair and table in the hall, are so lovely because it's someone trying to make the communal space more welcoming and maybe for people to sit and chat with neighbours.
lara 5 years ago
In 1976 I went to the Soviet Union, it was my first trip. We were "allowed" to walk around in Moscow, as long as we could find our way back to the hotel which was NOT IN Moscow, but out in the "suburbs." Anyway I was talking with a young woman who was an engineering student and who spoke excellent English. Her English was much better than my Russian. Anyway, she invited us [there were three of us] back to her "apartment" which was ONE room. It had a bed up against the "hall wall" [it was the warmest place in the room except for the kitchen, she said], a very small kitchen and a tiny, really tiny "cooler". A sink and a counter top, no cabinets, just shelves below the counter top. No bath, she shared a bath and toilet with the entire floor. She had a table and a tiny, tiny tv. The floor was vinyl and peeling. One of the girls asked why she didn't "decorate" the room. She said if she made it look attractive someone "higher up" would take it for either themselves or someone else
cassiushumanmother 5 years ago
i would like to see a tour of your parents appartement. Obviously you are not adult. Or do you have 60 tastes?And you don't like 90 tastes...
Load More Replies... Sue Grigg 5 years ago
With the exception of a few, these are just people trying to humanize bland living conditions and good for them.
Dorothy Cloud 5 years ago
It is sad. Looks like most of the people were poor and tried very hard to improve what little they had. Bless their hearts.
Martha Meyer 5 years ago
Don't think these people are particularly poor. But those apartment buildings haven't been renovated in forever. A bit of new paint and new doors and windows do wonders to those buildings.
Load More Replies... Befitting Soup 5 years ago
So nostalgic. Although I never lived in a block, they were all around and we were always off vising an aunt or older relative living in a block of flats. The staircase has a particular smell (not bad) I still remember it fondly.
Stannous Flouride 5 years ago
Given that the industrious staff of Bored Panda are all Letts (Lithuanians) it's surprising that so few of the posts here are from that lovely country. Nice to see.
Kae Matsuda 5 years ago
I loved Vilnius but I resolved that if I ever come into money I will fill in some of its skyline with beautiful, modern, plant-friendly, affordable housing just to offset the Soviet apartments. They are so unbelievably ugly! This post was sweet because it showed people making the space their own on very little to work with. It's my dream to give them more!
Monika Lachova 5 years ago
this looks very familiar to me. It is similar in Slovakia as well. We have lots of concrete panel buildings like that and to see something like above is quite common. But those inside wall paintings are cool.
Grace Note 5 years ago
Even the simplest ones, like a chair and table in the hall, are so lovely because it's someone trying to make the communal space more welcoming and maybe for people to sit and chat with neighbours.
lara 5 years ago
In 1976 I went to the Soviet Union, it was my first trip. We were "allowed" to walk around in Moscow, as long as we could find our way back to the hotel which was NOT IN Moscow, but out in the "suburbs." Anyway I was talking with a young woman who was an engineering student and who spoke excellent English. Her English was much better than my Russian. Anyway, she invited us [there were three of us] back to her "apartment" which was ONE room. It had a bed up against the "hall wall" [it was the warmest place in the room except for the kitchen, she said], a very small kitchen and a tiny, really tiny "cooler". A sink and a counter top, no cabinets, just shelves below the counter top. No bath, she shared a bath and toilet with the entire floor. She had a table and a tiny, tiny tv. The floor was vinyl and peeling. One of the girls asked why she didn't "decorate" the room. She said if she made it look attractive someone "higher up" would take it for either themselves or someone else
cassiushumanmother 5 years ago
i would like to see a tour of your parents appartement. Obviously you are not adult. Or do you have 60 tastes?And you don't like 90 tastes...
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